Spine surgery, such as vertebral fusions, is common and is becoming more reliable as better methods are developed for stabilizing the back and improving bone grafts, for example, to repair disc injuries, vertebral fractures, and the effects of osteoarthritis. Many spine surgeries require an anterior approach, such as those for degenerative disc disease (both denovo and to correct failed prior back surgery), and for infected discs, tumor removal and scoliosis (e.g., for excision, drainage, or decompression).
Anterior fusions are often preferable to posterior fusions because the bone surface area available for the fusion is considerably larger, and any discs to be removed are more accessible. This makes the likelihood of successful fusion greater; and the time required for the operation less, translating to less time that the patient is under general anesthesia.
A surgical implement and surgical access method for anterior lumbar surgery are described in my U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,296,609 and 6,416,465, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by this reference.
Adhesions and/or fibrous attachments can develop following anterior lumbar surgery, be it fusion, disc replacement, nucleus replacement, or any other anterior lumbar procedure that requires dissection of the anterior surface of the spine to obtain access to the disc spaces. This invention has to do with a barrier placed into position, following the spinal procedure, between the anterior surface of the spine and one or more of the following structures: the blood vessels such as the aorta, inferior vena cava, common iliac arteries, common iliac veins, or other structures such as the ureter and nerve fibers. The barrier can prevent or minimize encasement of all these structures by scar tissue formation, fibrosis and adhesions, which present a significant risk of re-exposure should the need arise to return to this same area of the spine or adjacent areas in the future.